Clydebank 5
Kilwinning Rgrs 1
League (WoSFL Premier)

Match Report

Nicky Little led the Bankies to a much needed 5-1 victory over Kilwinning Rangers today in the West of Scotland League with the captain scoring four himself including a contender for goal of the season with a – now trademark - first time shot from the halfway line. The Bankies moved up to eighth in the league table as a result.

It was just four weeks ago at Beith that the skipper trudged off the pitch looking like a forlorn figure as he tossed his captain’s armband on the pitch after being substituted. He had been played out of position for too long and it had become detrimental to himself and the team.

Restored to his proper position the evidence has been startling in just a few short weeks. Playing as a foil to the main striker, we are now seeing the top class player that Little truly is at this level.

There has been a dividend of six goals in his last three games, and he could have had seven or eight against Kilwinning this afternoon. It is not just the goals he scored, but the threat he carries by getting into dangerous positions. You could see the confidence oozing from him towards the end of the game when he tried a crazy volley from wide on the left wing, and still managed to get it on target.

Nicky Little has one position, and this is it!

With such an emphatic scoreline you would think the Bankies played Kilwinning off the pitch, but with eleven minutes on the clock you would have thought otherwise.

The Buffs came out the traps on the front foot and were pushing Clydebank deep into their own half. Although there wasn’t much goalmouth action, you couldn’t grudge the Buffs their opener when it came.

Macklin burst through the middle of the pitch, and committed Niven into a tackle he couldn’t win. The ball was pushed out to the left for Collins, who hit the ball across Donnelly into the far post.

Strangely, the goal did not help Kilwinning as it was Clydebank who steadily worked their way into the game and looked the more likely to score the next goal. .

Niven tried to guide a header from a corner kick towards the goal, but fluffed the ball over the bar. Then, a neat move involving Hodge and Gallacher saw the ball slipped out to Kelly, but the winger drove the ball high and wide.

Kelly, deputising for the injured Weir then fired a free kick over the bar, and just afterwards Nicky Little tried a bit of a toe-ender on the stretch which Gordon in the away goal saved well.

The goal just after the half hour was well deserved. A back-to-form Lee Gallacher was the creator as he slipped the ball to Nicky Little down the right hand channel. Outpacing the defender Little placed his shot perfectly into the far corner.

Minutes later, Little should have scored a second as a tremendous leap from Ciaran Mulcahy put the Bankies captain clear on goal. You have to credit Gordon with a fine save, but Little should really have buried the ball past the keeper.

Kilwinning were lucky to get to the break on even terms as Little missed another chance as he side-footed a clever short corner at the near post only for Gordon to produce a quality stop at this bottom right post. Then Jamie Darroch saw a header cleared off the line from the follow up corner kick.

The Buffs clearly getting off the hook tried to up the tempo in their favour after the restart, and for a while they had some joy. Full back Torrance headed over the bar from a decent position, but once more Clydebank began to overwhelm their opponents.

A quick throw in to Little inside the box after 51 minutes, was laid off for the in-rushing Gallacher, but his effort from the edge of penalty area was stopped by Gordon.

Both sides swapped half chances after this, but Clydebank were edging toward their second goal and it arrived after 64 minutes. It was the first of two disasters for defender Kenny Marshall.

Nicky Little tried to beat the defender on the left wing, but it looked like Marshall had won the battle, but he recklessly tried to pass the ball inside to a team-mate, and Little still on his tail dispossessed him.

The Bankies forward still had a lot of work to do, but he curled the ball sumptuously over Gordon – who did get a hand to it – but the power beat him and it went right in the top corner.

Little was on fire now and he should have scored a hat trick after being sent clear by Johnstone. He may have had a shout for a shove in the back, but he still managed a clean shot, and keeper Gordon was once again up to the task.

The hat trick was only delayed just a few more minutes, as Gallacher released Ciaran Mulcahy, and he was cynically brought down by Millar for a penalty kick. It was a double blow as the foul took place outside the box, and the defender received a second yellow card for his troubles.

Nicky Little stuck the ball away for his 31st all time penalty goal.

It wasn’t long before Little joined an elite band of Bankies to score four goals in one match becoming just the eighth player to do so, and what a way to do it.

Kenny Marshall was to blame as he mis-placed a pass on the halfway line. However, no one could have predicted what would come next as he thrashed the ball goalwards first time. With the keeper off his line, he could only watch as the ball flew into the corner for a truly stunning goal.

With the game won, the Bankies admirably kept chasing more goals, and were rewarded at the end when substitute Connor Higgins showed tremendous strength to power a header home at the back post to complete the scoring.

It took the Bankies a while to get going today, but once they did they created a large number of chances and were well deserved winners. The sending off opened things up, but the home side were well on their way to the three points by then.

This run of good form has come at just the right time, as the Bankies have a tough away game down at Auchinleck this midweek. Clydebank have never won a league game at Beechwood Park, and it would be a huge indication of progress if the three points could be won there.

Match report written by Stuart McBay